There has been a well recognized need for improved law enforcement holsters which are small, compact and concealable and yet worn on the belt. These holsters are customarily worn by plainclothes officers for carrying their primary handgun weapon. As a result, the officers are quite adamant about the need for the holster to properly and securely carry the handgun, and more particularly to allow for its rapid drawing without interference with their outer clothing. They want a solid feeling of attachment of the holster to their belt, ease of drawing and particularly drawing at the correct angle. The correct angle of the holster body with respect to the wearer's belt is primarily a matter of choice but of extreme importance since a law enforcement officer's life may depend upon his rapid and positively controlled draw of his handgun.
In the past, small concealable holsters have been designed to carry either revolvers or automatics with the barrel angled forward at an acute angle. This arrangement has been found to be acceptable to many officers and many thousands of such holsters have been used for many years. Despite its lack of adjustability of the cant angle of the barrel, this type of holster provides true positive connection between the belt loop and the holster body giving a solid feeling when the handgun is drawn.
Holsters have been designed with two or three different angle positions of the holster body with respect to the belt loop but characteristically have required a partial disassembly of the holster for adjustment of the angle and only limited adjustability.
Another approach taken in holsters of this type is to provide a pivoting connection between the belt loop and the holster body. Since belt loops may be secured to holster bodies by snaps, for example the one-way snap fasteners long used in holster manufacture, they can be made to act as swivels allowing total angular freedom for the holster body and handgun with respect to the belt loop and consequently the wearer's belt. A degree of acceptance for this type of holster exists since each officer can draw the handgun at the angle which feels most comfortable to him. Many officers reject this type of holster since the solid feeling of control which they desire is lacking. The handgun may pivot while being worn or during strenuous activity and most important during drawing. The rotating holster body may interfere with optimum drawing or at least psycholgically bother the officer. Therefore, the pivoting body holster does not meet the needs of adjustability of angle and solid connection between the holster body and the belt loop.
As a result, a continuing need has existed for a holster which provides both of these features.